Out with the Old (Printer), in with the New

Many of us have that one old office printer we’d like to kick to the curb. Dozens of UC Davis departments were able to do just that in June.

Their satisfaction came in the form of a printer exchange event, hosted by Supply Chain Management. In a partnership with HP, Supply Chain was able to get 150 new printers by cashing in points earned from previous purchases and recycling HP toner.

Departments with specific, older printers were eligible to exchange them for new models at no cost to the department. “We look for the oldest, energy hog printers that are out there on campus,” said HP account manager, Mike McKinnon, “These newer devices are far more efficient, both in energy, and in paper and total carbon footprint.”

McKinnon said none of the old printers will end up in a landfill. All of the components will be reused in one way or another.

Strategic Sourcing Manager, Britany Duyanovich said the event is just one way Supply Chain Management conducts business sustainably, “UC Davis is continuously ranked as one of the world’s greenest universities. This event furthers the university’s sustainability goals, while helping departments upgrade their equipment at the same time.”

Programmer Leng Lai’s Mathematics department had more than a dozen printers that qualified for the exchange. “Normally we request a bunch and only get a handful, but this time we requested 14 and got all 14. So, I’m going to be busy today,” he said.